Made reservations 2 weeks ago for a party of four. My mother wanted to take her 98 yr old father out on what was his anniversary (grandma passed years ago) as it is also their anniversary of when he became her stepfather. Grandpa is a proud navy veteran and loved the water. I asked specifically for a table with a water view. The lovely lady on the phone assured me it would be no problem and even inquired about if it was a special occasion. We get there early and wait for them to open. We are the second party through the door. They proceed to make my mother and grandpa walk all the way through the restaurant just to seat us at a table with no view. I spoke up and tried to self seat at a better table. Waitress couldn't make that huge decision and had to get manager who proceeds to tell me no one would promise that and if I knew who he'd address. I told him it was the sweet old lady hostess as I recognized her voice. I insisted they get us to a better table. Nope- can't do it. Sat down furious. Just had our drink orders taken when he magically reappears with a fix. Moves us- all the way across the restaurant again (two ppl on walkers) acting as if he'd pulled off a miracle for us. Was great until the bar pianist started and drowned out all conversation- especially with two hard of hearing people. Now- appetizers were good. Salad was good. Lobster bisque soup almost inedible. Both filets were tender but flavorless. My prime rib was tough and again flavorless. We will never return. What a horrid experience and a waste of money. The beginning of the evening was enough to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I had hoped the food would improve that. Far from it. A little bar and grill called Hornets Nest here in Evansville has a far superior filet. Go figure. read more

I just had dinner at Cavanaugh's. First, I will commend that they were open on Thanksgiving. Second, I will note the food was good. Third, I'm used to big city prices, so I found this experience to be a steal. All that being said, service is slooow. The restaurant wasn't even a third full and we had to wait far too long every step of the way. If they could step it up on the service time, this could easily be five star review. read more

The customer service is great and the food is delicious! Highly recommend the filet mignonette and lobster Mac and cheese.

We came here for our first anniversary. Lisa was awesome. She was very knowledgable about wines and prime cuts, but was quick to ask her kitchen questions when we wanted to know specifics. She was accommodating, friendly, and added to the experience which left us feeling very well taken care of on a special day. Also, the scallops and the filet were amazing! read more

Service amazing! Oysters on the half shell always fresh. My filet cooked to perfection could cut it with a fork. Wedge salad the best around. Split the Mac and cheese and potatoes with my husband it's more than just one person can eat alone. The Mac and cheese is extra cheesy just like I love it. The atmosphere is quite and overlooked the river. Everything about it was amazing. read more

One of the best experiences we could've asked for !! The service was great and the food was also great !!! The New York strip was amazing ! Great views of the Ohio River and the piano bar sounded great !! read more

Had the blackened Neptune. It was excellent. View of river at sunset was awesome. Little on the pricey side so might be worth checking out menu before going. read more

Sunday brunch is a real treat! Beautiful view of the river, chefs making your plate in front of you and it is so hot and fresh. If you go for dinner you must try the mushroom risotto! It is off the CHAIN! Steaks go without saying as they never disappoint. Courteous service and reservation using open table is so convenient . read more

Delish. Had the scallops. Yumm O. Nice ambience. Good service. Was blinded by the light up menu. Must also try the garlic spread provided with the bread. read more

What a piece of heaven in his area. Never have I met such a nicer more knowledgeable waitress than Sandra. Vey accommodating, polite and personal. Both Cavanagh and Sandra-- gems in the rough! Highly recommend! read more

We were looking for somewhere new for a nice dinner while my parents were visiting. I looked on Yelp, and there was Cavanaughs, I had forgotten about them down on the riverfront. Our entire experience was first class. The restaurant and bar were immaculate, and nicely decorated. The view over the river as the sun set was beautiful. The food was excellent. I ordered filet and lobster. The filet was perfectly cooked, the meat was tender, and the flavor perfect. The lobster was also top notch. I tried some of my wife's king crab legs, and stole some of my Dad's prime rib, and both were wonderful. The service was better than A+. The attention to detail from the entire staff was superb. Our entire family had a great time, as well as an outstanding meal. read more

Apps were great, calamari, tuna, good. Rib eye on the bone, dry, overcooked. Sambuca no beans = C step up your game

Double date celebrating a birthday. We were really disappointed. The seafood entrees were good enough, the prime rib wasn't. For the money, we expected much better. While the river view is certainly a main attraction, I left wondering if the recent move of the casino across the street and subsequent absence of the boat has impacted the place in a really negative way. The Ms. and I tried Cavanaughs years ago and weren't impressed then. However, the positive reviews found here gave us a reason to try again. We remain unimpressed today. They won't get a third chance from us. read more

Lovely view on the ohio river. Excellent salmon & creamed spinach. A friend had sea bass the night before at bonefish but cavanaughs was way better! Recommend the twice potatoes & au gratin & asparagus. Sorry mo room for dessert but got a lovely lemon sherbet to cleanse the palate. read more

Im a fan. i had the Ribeye and eat almost all of it. The service was good. Everyone at the table said what the ordered was perfect. the shrimp, salad, potato and the drinks. Its a little pricy, but worth it. Nice view of the river read more

Great service, very meaty crab legs that are worth the money. Steak is cooked to order perfectly. I went two nights in a row to get some more crab !!! I will make my way back to try other dishes on the menu. read more

Wine list,superb! Meal was A-1' had the porterhouse,salad was spot on, waitress, very good, Maiter Dei, useless!

Best restaurant in Evansville if you don't have a car! The peanut brittle salad and salmon are both my favorite. Save room for dessert!

This was probably one of the best dinners I have ever had. It's DEFINITELY on the pricey side, but a great place to go if you want to splurge! read more

You pay the price, but they always deliver a pretty high quality meal here. Steak is always good which is the highlight for me. Had the swordfish the other night and it was delicious. Don't pass up the deserts here either read more

My first dining experience was last week. I enjoyed the appetizers of ahi tuna, spinach, and crab cakes. The ahi was excellent and the crab cakes were the best I have ever eaten,more crab than cake with a nice remoulade. The lobster bisque was very good as well. Other diners had wedge salad which was an enormous portion. The filet was somewhat of a disappointment. Although cooked to my specifications, tasted as though it had been "tenderized". The side orders were good, consisting of huge shareable servings of mushrooms and asparagus. Both cooked to my liking. Twice baked potato very good and huge portion. Decent wine selection. Underwhelming beer selection. Desserts were very good. Service was impeccable. I will be back, but will try a different main meat Should really be a 4.5 review read more

After a friend's recommendation, we gave Cavanaugh's a second chance after our first visit's food being "just ok". We visited on Wednesday, March 20 for dinner this time. Big waste of time and money. I ordered the filet medium, scalloped potatoes and strawberry salad. The salad greens weren't that fresh and the strawberries bitter; still it was ok. When my entree arrived, the server asked me to cut into my steak to see if it was ok. When I did, I noticed it was fairly hard to cut - not gristley - just a little tough. To me, medium means a warm, red center. However, the center was not even pink. I told the server it was ok. However, when I took my first bite of scalloped potatoes, they were totally undercooked. I told the server that they would have to go back. She suggested the rice pilaf as a quick substitute. It was flavorless and also undercooked. The restaurant supervisor came around and said he'd heard I wasn't happy with my food. I told him the steak was overcooked and the potatoes undercooked. He said, "I'll make some adjustments to your bill". He took off the price of the scalloped potatoes (it was all ala carte). LOL - we didn't complain during any phase of the meal (other than sending back the potatoes, which was done courteously) because that's not our way. My husband had pork chops and a mashed potato. Both were "just ok", he said. Price tag - $105 plus $18 tip = $123. We just won't go back and here's our Yelp review. Be warned. read more

Beautiful view, the Blackened Neptune was amazing. With the new renovation and upgrades this place will be amazing! Definitely a place to check out. read more

mike our server was AWESOME, but our entire party got food poisoning. got a GRAY prime rib and asked for it to be sent back and they sent out the same one again. people were puking and experiencing diarrhea and they haven't resolved the issue. i would rate zero if i could. read more

Too bad this is rated one of the top restaurants in Evansville. The atmosphere is quite nice but I think they serve a "lame" steak compared to other steak houses in larger cities. read more

Great view of the river. Food was good, but over priced. Service was average, wait staff follow up was at a minimum but at the price you are paying, should be more attentive. If you like over paying or just want to show off how much money you have, come here. But you CAN get a better steak for less, at other local steakhouses. read more

11 of us had dinner here Saturday evening. I have to say, everything was perfect. Some of us had been there before and for some it was a first visit. From the minute we walked in and were seated with a perfect view of the river to our dessert at the end, it was amazing. The artichoke spinach dip was the best I've ever had. We all ordered different salads and they were all good. The steaks are to die for. All of the sides are great and large enough to share. The desserts were great also. What helped make our dinner so special was our server Sandra. She was one of the best I've ever had. She seemed to know exactly what someone needed without asking. She handled our large party perfectly. She kept drinks coming, bread replaced and our food was perfectly timed as it came out. She did all of this with a smile on her face, pleasant personality seeming to enjoy taking care of us. I would highly recommend dining here and asking for Sandra as your server. read more

Went here for a group meal with 10 of us. A few drinks at the bar and then we sat down. We ordered five appetizers, crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, fried calamari, spinach dip and ahi tuna. The star was the ahi, not just because it was delicious and even came on a long rice log, but because there was a huge portion. The shrimp on the cocktail were very large and fresh, and the spinach dip was good as well, though served with only crackers. For dinner we had a smattering of strip steaks, filets, prime rib, salmon and a vegetarian portobello option. Everything was really close to being awesome. The filets came out a bit over-cooked and were sent back to be redone. The portobello entree was delicious according to my friend, and all of the prime ribs looked and tasted delicious. I asked for mine to be as rare as they have it and it came out more similar to everyone else who ordered it med-rare to medium. No problems, with tasty au jus and raw horseradish it was delicious. I tried several sides including creamed spinach and the sautéed mushrooms. They were both great. I was told the mashed potatoes were some of the best ever. The scene was as good as it gets for EVV and the service was well done as well. A great meal, a little pricy for the market but good for special occasions. read more

See all

So delicious! This is a perfect restaurant for date night or special occasion! The view is so pretty at night! They have a beautiful piano bar that I love to sit at with friends! Great seafood! read more

UNBELIEVABLE MEAL! French onion soup, rack of lamb, beautiful prime rib, veggies we wanted to eat and super desserts. Top-notch waiter named Mike who didn't miss a single detail. He was funny, had a great accent and really knew what he was doing, so rare to find these days. I would put this elegant hideaway up against any restaurant anywhere anytime. We're going back real soon! read more

The atmosphere was nice, the wait staff attentive, the food was good. The reason for only 3 stars is it was just that nothing special. For the price it was just average. read more

I joined 3 others and dined here recently on a late Saturday night. The food was really delicious. We all enjoyed our meals. We were surprised by the large portion sizes, but the food was still great quality. I had prime rib, merlot mushrooms and au gratin potatoes. We had great service. read more

Have come here multiple times in the past for various reasons. Usually, I love the restaurant! Great food and amazing service. We normally dine in the dining room, but the last two times we have come in, we enjoyed the bar. The first time, we were forced to since we were completely ignored by hostess (Gloria?) but actually ended up loving the bartenders. Great service. Although this time we came in (7/29/17, posting a little late) there were different hostess, we were still completely ignored. This occasion, Kaitlin(?) took 3 minutes to greet us although she saw us, turned around and walked back to the dining room. When she finally made it to the host stand, she did not say anything at first and awkwardly shuffled papers around. Finally looking up, all she offered was a "Can I help you?" Shocked, I responded with "Never mind, we will sit at the bar.". Damian and Sierra were very helpful and knowledgable. Both took the time to check on us so we never went without refills or anything else needed. They even knew our names by our departure. While watching them work, they knew every drink each customer had and referred many by their names, or "Mr. Miss/Mrs." politely. Sitting at the bar allowed us to watch the hostess more in which i noticed more people wandering past then were greeted promptly. Sierra, one bartender, even had to go and greet people on multiple occasions and even sit customers! If you have two hostesses and are not very busy, I find this completely unacceptable. Drinks, steaks, and desserts were fantastic as always, service was unmatched, and we always end up having a great time! I would only suggest that hostess are properly trained or ones who know how to properly conduct the job are hired. It is hard for other employees to focus on their jobs (i.e. servers, bartenders, managers) when they have to also do the job of hosting as well. read more

I have dined at Cavanaughs seven times. There is a reason that this place is known as the best place to eat in Evansville. From the location to the staff , food and bar, this place is top notch. Try the bone in ribeye, lamb and sample the top shelf liquor. read more

Very pricey for food that is just stuck in the oven (I knew someone who worked there). Expect to pay twice as much for your steak than you would somewhere else. read more

I had high hopes for this establishment, and sadly was very underwhelmed. I placed my reservation in advance, told them of the very special occassions we were celebrating (1st wedding anniversary and recent successful brain surgery) and asked for a romantic table with a view. No one mentioned our special occasions at all, nor did we get a romantic table and despite the many open tables, we still had to wait for one to "get ready". The lounge singer playing that night was quite talented, but extremely loud. We were thankful to be placed away from him so we could talk. Our waitress, Renee was pleasant, but very unsure of the "special" menu, specifically how to pronounce the menu items, as she painfully read each one aloud to us. The raspberry margarita I ordered was so unbearably, sickeningly sweet, I couldn't even drink it. My husband added water to it and let the ice melt and was eventually able to get it down. I drank water for the night for fear of trying anything else. The bread and butter with the side of roasted garlic was creative and tasty, but lacked finesse. Our steaks were cooked as ordered (which is so hit or miss other places), but were very underseasoned. Each side we ordered had to be seasoned with salt and pepper to be palatable as well. We noticed tables being enticed by trays of beautiful looking desserts, but no one offered any to us. We were greeted by a sweet woman named Anna who was very appropriately dressed and very pleasant, who thanked us for coming. I would not consider Cavanaughs again. The prices were obscene compared to the lack of... everything... the establishment had to offer. Nothing was over the top amazing for a such an expensive endeavor. read more

Cavanaughs rocks! The staff is gracious, always treats us like family and we love the entire staff, even Giray the head honcho. I may sound bias because we are "regulars", but if you have a bad experience here, you probably are a food snob or just like to write bad reviews! The food, service and drinks are all VERY consistent and we have never had a bad meal, no kidding. Crab legs are the specialty here (my fav) and a 1/2 order of them is HUGE. The bread is super delicious along with their signature roasted garlic, it's amazing. The 6oz filet is my wife's favorite and she is never disappointed. When they have a swordfish special she jumps at the chance and her seafood is always prepared perfectly. The deserts are all incredible as well (as regulars we have had them all). Now I know this sounds like they paid me to write this, but believe me, I pay them and this is 100% honesty. I have had 5 company Christmas parties of 25+ people there and if what I'm saying here wasn't true, I would never go back or waste my time with this review. Sometimes a restaurant has a bad day, but after all these years, we have never had one there. Sure there are other places you can get a steak or seafood or a good desert, but in Evansville you will have to look long and hard to even come close to Cavanaughs to get the entire package of great food, service, quality and atmosphere. read more